Chinese Navy Warships Join Search for Missing Jet

The Australian navy cruiser HMAS Perth searching the southern Indian Ocean for signs of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Authorities believe they are closing in after search crews regained contact with underwater pings, first detected over the weekend, consistent with locator beacons attached to the jet's flight recorders..
Abis Nicolas Gonzalez/European Pressphoto Agency…

The Australian navy vessel Ocean Shield towing, deep beneath the surface, a U.S. Navy device designed to hear a black box's pings, and a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, dropping sonar buoys meant to help triangulate any signals and locate the source.
Australian Defence Force/Handout via Reuters…

Angus Houston, a retired air chief marshal and head of the Australian agency coordinating the search, and Commodore Peter Leavy of the Royal Australian Navy, delivering an update on the state of the search in Perth on April 9.
Richard Polden/Reuters…

A Japanese P3C plane getting a sendoff from Japanese and Malaysian officials as it left Subang Airbase near Kuala Lumpur for Perth on April 9 to join the search.
Ahmad Yusni/European Pressphoto Agency…

Zhang Zhiliang of Tianjin, China, reading a letter from his fiancée, Li Jie, a passenger on the missing Malaysia Airlines .Flight 370.
Tencent/Muyi/Reuters…

Angus Houston declaring on April 7 that searchers over the weekend got their 'most promising lead' so far—two extended signals from deep underwater that were consistent with black-box locator beacons.
Greg Wood/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

A S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter returning to the Australian's Navy's HMAS Success after a search session April 7.
Australian Defence Force/Handout/Reuters…

An April 6 photo showed the HMAS Success as it completed an at-sea replenishment with a Royal Malaysian Navy frigate during the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
Cpois David Connolly/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

An April 5 photo showed Australian Cmdr. James Lybrand and Capt. Nick Woods as they searched for the missing jet in the southern Indian Ocean.
Lsis Bradley Darvill/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

Bradley Fox kept a lookout from the HMAS Success on April 3 for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
Abis Julianne Cropley/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

A South Korean navy P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft being prepared for takeoff March 27 at the Royal Australian Air Force Base Pearce, north of Perth, before flying over the southern Indian Ocean in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
Australian Defence Force/Reuters…

Aboard a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion out on the search March 26.
Paul Kane/Pool/Reuters…

A Malaysian air force general facing questions from relatives of Flight 370 passengers at the Metro Park Lido Hotel in Beijing on March 26.
Wang Zhaowang/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

Relatives of Flight 370 passengers dealing with the media at the same Beijing hotel that same day.
Wang Zhaowang/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

Flight 370 family members being squeezed by police during a protest near the Beijing hotel on March 25.
Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters…

Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya and Chairman Nor Yusof during a news conference at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Tuesday. China demanded Tuesday that Malaysia turn over the satellite data it used to conclude that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, crashed in the southern Indian Ocean with no survivors.
Vincent Thian/Associated Press…

A member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force waved at crew members of a Lockheed P-3C Orion aircraft that was heading off from Malaysia's Subang Airport to help with the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Two P-3C Japanese aircraft headed toward Australia on Sunday, March 23.
Edgar Su/Reuters…

Cyclists observed a moment of silence during "The Ride of Prayer" outside the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Sunday. Search planes headed back out to the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday in hopes of finding clues related to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. On Saturday, China released a satellite image showing a large floating object in the search zone.
Joshua Paul/Associated Press…

A still image taken from a March 22 video showed an object spotted in the southern Indian Ocean by the China National Space Administration's Gaofen-1 high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite. Chinese satellites spotted objects floating in the southern Indian Ocean search area for MH370 that could be debris and they sent ships to investigate.
CCTV/Reuters TV…

A crew member on the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong searched for the missing MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday.
hang Jiansong/Xinhua/Zuma Press…

A relative of an MH370 passenger spoke to journalists in Beijing on Sunday about her frustration with regards to search information.
Ng Han Guan/Associated Press…

A member of the Royal Malaysian Air Force checked used a smartphone in Subang, Malaysia on Sunday.
Lai Seng Sin/Associated Press…

Relatives of passengers from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 consoled each other before a meeting with airline officials at the Metro Park Lido Hotel in Beijing on Thursday, March 20.
Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

Satellite imagery provided to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority could be of debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in an area 185 kilometers (115 miles) southeast of the original search area Thursday.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority/Reuters…

A man wrote messages and well-wishes for family members of passengers aboard the missing plane inside a shopping mall in Putrajaya Thursday.
Samuel Said/Reuters…

Australian Maritime Safety Authority Emergency Response Division General Manager John Young spoke to the media about satellite imagery of objects possibly related to the search for flight MH370 Thursday in Canberra, Australia.
Stefan Postles/Getty Images…

Relatives of passengers gathered at a television viewing room for news programs at a hotel in Beijing Thursday.
Rolex dela Pena/European Pressphoto Agency…

RAAF Flight Sgt. Tom Stewart studied his radar screen on board an AP-3C Orion over the Southern Indian Ocean during a search operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.
Associated Press…

Maintenance workers conducted checks on a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion aircraft after its arrival at RAAF Base Pearce, Western Australia. The aircraft is to join the Australian Maritime Safety Authority-led search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean.
Getty Images…

A family member of a missing relative from China who was on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 broke down as she spoke to the media at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Wednesday.
Azhar Rahim/European Pressphoto Agency…

Screens showing flight information and a 'Pray for MH370'" sign, left, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday.
Edgar Su/Reuters…

Artwork conveys well-wishes for the passengers and crew of the missing plane at a viewing gallery in Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday.
Edgar Su/Reuters…

Women wrote on the 'wall of hope' for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 18.
Ahmad Yusni/European Pressphoto Agency…

A relative of a passenger waits for a news briefing by Malaysia Airlines officials at a hotel in Beijing on March 18.
Andy Wong/Associated Press…

A message of support on the 'wall of hope' at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Ahmad Yusni/European Pressphoto Agency…

A relative of a missing passenger answered questions from the media at the Lido Hotel in Beijing on March 18.
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images…

People holding balloons pose next to a message reading 'Pray for MH370' during an event held for passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, in Kuala Lumpur, on March 17.
Lai Seng Sin/Associated Press…

Students watched artists finish a school-ground painting inspired by the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in the Philippine city of Makati on March 17.
Romeo Ranoco/Reuters…

Sailors inspected the flight deck of the USS Kidd, employed to search the Indian Ocean for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, on Sunday, March 16.
U.S. Navy…

Relatives of passengers on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 chatted after a meeting with the airline's representatives at the Lido Hotel in Beijing on March 16. On Saturday, March 15, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said "deliberate action" caused the disappearance of the plane.
Jason Lee/Reuters…

Visitors wrote messages on a banner for passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 16.
Mohd Rasfan/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

A family member of a Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 passenger spoke on the phone at the Lido Hotel in Beijing on March 16.
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images…

A Malaysian army paratrooper stood guard between banners with messages for passengers of the missing flight in the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 16.
Edgar Su/Reuters…

A passenger's relative posed a question to Malaysia Airlines representatives at the Lido Hotel in Beijing on March 16.
Jason Lee/Reuters…

A Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency pilot studied a map onboard a Japanese aircraft customized for search and rescue operations, as they looked for the missing plane in the South China Sea on March 15.
Edgar Su/Reuters…

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at Saturday's news conference. The last communication from a Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared a week ago came from one of two possible corridors spanning a wide region that stretches from Kazakhstan in north Asia to the southern Indian Ocean, Razak said.
Manan Vatsyayana/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

Malaysian Muslims offer Friday prayers during a special prayer session for passengers of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport mosque in Sepang on March 14.
Manan Vatsyayana/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images…

College students light candles to pray for the passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, at Yangzhou University in China's Jiangsu Province on March 13.
Meng Delong/Xinhua/ZUMAPRESS.com…

The Royal Malaysian Navy corvette KD Terengannu and a U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter from the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney conducted a coordinated search in the Gulf of Thailand on Wednesday, March 12.
Reuters…

A relative of a passenger on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cried out at a local hotel where families gathered Sunday, March 9, in Beijing.
Feng Li/Getty Images…

A staff member with Malaysia Airlines handed out visa application forms on March 9 near Beijing to relatives of missing passengers to help them go to Malaysia.
Jiang Kehong/Xinhua/Zuma Press…

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China’s navy sent two warships to join the search for the Malaysian Airlines flight that went missing between Malaysia and Vietnam.

The dispatch of the naval ships late Saturday and early Sunday is in addition to three coast guard and other civilian vessels China has sent towards the area. Ships from Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and the U.S have also been deployed.

An aerial view of what is believed to be an oil slick taken from a Vietnamese Air Force aircraft off the Vietnamese coast.

European Pressphoto Agency

The plane, a Boeing 777-200, was heading from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing and carrying 239 people—153 of them Chinese—when it went missing early Saturday.

China’s response reflects public pressure on the leadership to demonstrate a more robust response to threats to the safety of Chinese at home and overseas, some analysts said. The search, they said, also provides an opportunity to show that China’ expanding naval power can be used to help neighbors—not just enforce territorial claims that have heightened tensions in the region.

“It’s also a good example of regional cooperation on a multinational rescue operation,” said Zhu Feng, an expert on international security issues at Peking University. “This could be a good model for the future.”

A statement on the Chinese navy’s website said that the Mianyang, a missile frigate that was on patrol around islands in the South China Sea, was directed late on Saturday to head towards the area where the plane went missing.

The Jinggangshan, an amphibious docking ship carrying 14 medical personnel, 10 divers, two helicopters and 52 marines equipped with dinghies, left a southern China naval base early on Sunday heading for the search area, the statement said.

It said the Mianyang would arrive around 7.30 am on Monday, and the Jingganshan would get to the area at 10.00 am on Tuesday. One Chinese coast guard ship reached the area on Sunday afternoon, state media.

The current target search area lies outside the part of the South China Sea where China’s territorial claims overlap with those of Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan.

The U.S. 7th Fleet said that the missile destroyer, the USS Pinckney, and the P-3C Orion marine surveillance aircraft would both reach the target area, which it said was in international waters near the Gulf of Thailand, around mid-afternoon on Sunday local time.

The Pinckney was on patrol in the South China Sea when it was diverted to the search and rescue mission, the Navy said earlier. The P-3, which was flying in from Okinawa in southern Japan, had permission to land, refuel and operate in Malaysia, said a spokesman for the 7th Fleet, Cmdr. William J. Marks.

Asked if Vietnam or Malaysia had requested assistance, he said there was no need yet for a request, because the Pinckney, which carries two helicopters, would be operating in international waters as part of a search effort, not a recovery operation.

He also said that the U.S. navy was sending USNS Ericsson, an oiler based in Singapore, to resupply and refuel the Pinckney.

Chinese state media said that President Xi Jinping had ordered government agencies to coordinate with Malaysia and the Vietnam on the search and recovery operation.

The disappearance of flight MH370 comes as Beijing was already on alert following last week’s mass knife attack that left 33 people dead in a train station in southwestern China. Chinese authorities said the rampage was one the deadliest terrorist attacks yet by separatists from the northwestern Xinjiang region.

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